Sunset
by CelestialMoon17
Summary: The sun looked so beautiful . . . even Inuyasha had to admit it. Yes he’d seen his share of sunsets, but tonight it seemed even more so." - InuKag


Well I'm not going to say much, because people generally don't read the authors notes. This is just a simple one-shot Inu/Kag story. Enjoy   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters ( I think we all know that!)  
  
On with the story!  
  
Sunset – by Bandana Gurl.  
  
The sun was shining through the window, making it impossibly bright, and also impossible to sleep for much longer. Kagome Higurashi forced one eye open, and was nearly blinded by the sun's rays. She groaned, and buried her face into the pillow, as if trying to block out the sun.  
  
No such luck.  
  
Heaving a tired sigh, she forced herself up to a sitting posistion, and glanced at her clock. It read 1:30PM.  
  
"What the—"Kagome was sure awake now! She had things to do today! And she was sure that Inuyasha had been expecting her back hours ago!  
  
"Stupid alarm clock" she muttered to herself, as she scrambled out of bed ,and went to her dresser to get a change of clothes.  
  
Kagome was no ordinary girl. Having the power of a miko, and being able to travel back to feudal Japan by means of the bone eaters well on the edge of their shrine, other people's lives paled in comparison to hers. Not to mention that fact that she was in love with a half demon.  
  
Inuyasha was by far the best thing about going to the feudal era. So what if he was a complete jerk 99.9% of the time? There were times when he let her see beyond his tough exterior, and see the human within. But those times weren't all that often, much to Kagome's dismay . . .  
  
"Hey Kagome!" it was her mother's voice, breaking her out of her reverie. Kagome shook her head, and called back to her.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be leaving soon?"  
  
Her mother suddenly appeared in the doorway, taking the teen by surprise. She gave a yelp, clutching her hand to her chest.  
  
"Don't scare me like that!" she said.  
  
"Sorry." her mother replied, trying to look sheepish, but Kagome could see the grin that she was trying to hide.  
  
"I overslept." Kagome said, referring to her mother's earlier comment.  
  
"Ah I see." A soft smile adjorned her mother's face.  
  
"I hadn't slept in my bed for a week, and when I sat on it, it was so comfortable, and I fell asleep." Kagome didn't add that she'd been dreaming about a certain hanyou, and was unwilling to get up.  
  
"Well in any case, perhaps you'd better move it. I do believe someone is waiting downstairs for you."  
  
"Really? Who?" Kagome knew it wasn't Inuyasha, and she was glad. Inuyasha came through her window, and was always angry when he had to come get her.  
  
"A young man." with that, her mother disappeared back downstairs, and into the kitchen, where was preparing lunch.

10 minutes later, Kagome (now ready to go) went downstairs, and when she reached the bottom, gave a gasp of surprise. Standing near the doorway, looking rather sheepish, was none other than Hojo.  
  
"Hello Kagome." he said, smiling at her.  
  
"Hello Hojo." she replied with an air of politeness. He was probably here to ask her out on a date. And even though he was good looking, and a nice guy, she wasn't interested in him. Her friends thought she was crazy not to like him. And maybe I am, but I don't care she thought.  
  
". . . was wondering if you'd like to go out with me tomorrow night?"  
  
"huh?" Kagome was again shaken out of her reverie. Oh great! He thinks I'm not listening to him!  
  
"A date? tomorrow?" Hojo repeated, looking slightly hurt.  
  
Kagome heaved a sigh, and took a deep breath.  
  
"Hojo" she began. but before she could say anything else, he cut her off.  
  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so forward, but you're such a lovely girl Kagome, and I like you a lot." she could see the hint of a blush on his cheeks, and it made her feel even worse.  
  
"Well you're a nice man Hojo." she said carefully. She noted the smile that was forming on his face. "And I hope that you find someone who likes you as much as you like them." And in less than two seconds, that smile faded. Along with his hopes and dreams.  
  
"I see." was all he said. He looked so forlorn and dejected, Kagome felt her heart go out to him.  
  
"Well I have to go somewhere soon, but when I get back, we can hang out."  
  
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm not sure." he gave her a sad smile.  
  
"Well I'll walk you out the door."  
  
He gave her another sad smile, as she followed him out the door.

Inuyasha climbed out of the well, and stood on the hard floor. The wench was late. Yet again.  
  
"Feh. Stupid woman." he muttered to himself, making his way out of the well, and to her bedroom with his demon swiftness.  
  
He jumped into her window, and saw to his surprise, that it was deserted. He'd expected her to still be sleeping. The last battle they'd had was not an easy one, and sapped Kagome of most of her strength. Inuyasha practically had to carry her to her room. Not that he'd minded. Though he would never admit that to anyone. Somehow Kagome had gotten under his skin, and he wasn't about to complain.  
  
A sudden noise made Inuyasha's ears twitch. He turned his head to see where the source of the sound was. It was Kagome, heading outside with someone. A man. He looked vaguely familiar. He heard them talking, but not even his ears could pick up on what they were saying. He saw her hug him, and give him a kiss on the cheek, and he immediatly grew angry! That bloody wench! keeping him waiting for hours on end, and all because she was seeing a guy behind his back! Oooh wait until he got his hands on her!  
  
Shortly he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and he knew she was coming. She's going to regret ever meeting that guy he thought. He saw Kagome's feet, clad in her boots, before he saw the rest of her.  
  
"Oh Inuyasha!" she said with surprise. "I was just about ready to go."  
  
He wanted to smack her! She was acting completely innocent.  
  
"Wench." was all he said.  
  
This got Kagome's attention that something wasn't right.  
  
"What's up Inuyasha?" she asked.  
  
"As if you don't know, woman!" he yelled.  
  
Kagome wasn't fazed by his yelling. On the contrary, she was used to it, but she wished that things could be different.  
  
"No I don't know. Please tell me."  
  
Oooh that girl! Inuyasha felt his rage consume him even more. He gave her the coldest glare he could manage. It was so cold, Kagome had to turn away from him.  
  
"You want to know? FINE!" he screamed at her back. "I WAIT FOR YOU FOR HOURS ON END, ONLY TO FIND YOU AND THAT MAN SNEAKING AROUND BEHIND MY BACK!"  
  
"You saw that?" was Kagome's reply.  
  
"Damn right I saw it!" Inuyasha fixed another glare on her.  
  
"Inuyasha, you have to understand-"she began, but was cut off.  
  
"I don't want to hear it."  
  
With that he jumped out the window. Kagome heaved a sigh. Why does he always have to come to conclusions first? knowing that he wasn't about to talk to her anytime soon, Kagome grabbed her bag and followed him, trying her hardest to keep from crying.

By the time Kagome had arrived back in the feudal era, she saw that Inuyasha had gone ahead without her. Lovely. Now I'm alone. she thought. The good thing about that, was that now she could have a good cry without him sensing it. She was just about to lose it, and now she did. She felt the tears pour down her cheeks, and onto her skirt, wetting the fabric.  
  
And that was exactly how Sango and Kirara found her a few minutes later.  
  
"Kagome-sama!" Sango rushed over to her, the firecat at her heels.  
  
"Are you hurt?"  
  
"Not physically." Kagome croaked. She sniffled, and wiped her sleeve across her face.  
  
"What happened then.?" Sango didn't think she'd ever seen Kagome quite this upset before.  
  
"Inuyasha happened."  
  
"Ah" now Sango understood. From the way Kagome was handling it, she figured it must've been pretty ugly.  
  
"Come with me. I know what'll cheer you up." Sango said, pulling Kagome to her feet as she spoke.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Watching the sunset!"  
  
Kagome gave Sango a sad smile for her effort, and allowed herself to be dragged along by the demon huntress.

The sun looked so beautiful . . . even Inuyasha had to admit it. Yes he'd seen his share of sunsets, but tonight it seemed even more so. Maybe that was because it seemed to match his mood. Thoughtful, and still a little angry. There was more red streaked in the clouds than usual. Or perhaps he didn't notice it much before. But he sure did now. He also noticed with crystal clarity the redness of Kagome's eyes. She'd been crying. Over what, he didn't know. And right now he still didn't care all that much.  
  
It had been a rather tense dinner. Apparently the others had known that Inuyasha and Kagome were not speaking to each other, or rather that HE was not speaking to HER. Sango was glaring at Inuyahsa as well, and Miroku seemed to side with him. But he didn't care. He just wanted to be alone. For the first time ever, he skipped out on dinner, and went to go sit in his tree.  
  
So now it was a few hours later, and after doing a lot of heavy thinking, he was coming to realize that he wasn't as angry with Kagome as he originally was. He vaguely remembered that Kagome had tried to explain to him the situation, but as usual, he acted first, and listened later. Well now it was later, and he had no idea if she was angry at him now for overreacting.  
  
"Hey up there!" it was a tentative voice. A voice unsure of the response. It was Kagome's voice.  
  
Well here's my chance to talk to her he thought. He looked down through the branches, and saw Kagome standing at the base of the tree. She looked unsure of herself. Inuyasha felt guilt flooding through him, knowing that it was his fault that she looked like that. Then again, what she did to me . . . he felt anger rising up in him again. Heaving a sigh, he called down to her.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
She flinched at the tone of his voice.  
  
"I was just wondering if you wanted to talk." she said meekly.  
  
His anger immediately evaporated.  
  
"I guess." came his reply.  
  
Kagome brightened a bit, letting a small smile appear on her face. Inuyasha couldn't help but smile himself. She looks so pretty when she smiles. He saw her start to climb the tree, but the lowest branch was too high for her. he saw her jump, and she got hold of it, but it was a weak hold. He shook his head, and had an amused smile on his face. With lightning speed, he jumped down to the ground, and Kagome let go of the branch.  
  
"Need some help?" he asked.  
  
Kagome looked surprised. He's offering to help me? She had to wonder why he would do something like that, especially after their last argument. But the offer sounded genuine, so she took it.  
  
"Sure." she replied.  
  
Inuyasha knelt down, and Kagome got onto his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist. It was a familiar gesture, and it felt comfortable. He shimmied up the tree in seconds. He gently set her down on the branch that he had been on moments earlier, and he then sat down. It supported the combined weight just fine, though it was rather small, so Kagome was sitting fairly close to Inuyasha. Not that she minded too much. There was a moment of somewhat awkward silence.  
  
"Um Inuyasha-"Kagome began, but was cut off.  
  
"I want an explanation wench." he said the word wench with affection, so she knew he wasn't angry with her anymore.  
  
"Well I'll give it to you."  
  
So Kagome explained how Hojo had turned up unexpectedly, asking her for a date. She saw Inuyasha tense, and wondered if she should go on. She hesitated, but finally gathered up her courage.  
  
"I told him that he was a nice guy, but . . . "she paused.  
  
"But what?"  
  
"But that I didn't like him in a romantic way, and also . . . "she paused again. She had no idea if she should tell him the next part.  
  
"Also what?" he prompted, getting annoyed.  
  
Kagome didn't answer right away. Instead she looked at the sunset. She gasped in surprise.  
  
"What is it now?" he was blatantly annoyed.  
  
"Look at the sky." she breathed.  
  
Inuyasha followed her gaze, and saw, to his surprise, that the sky was now a pinkish color, and he could've sworn that there was a cloud in the shape of a heart. How weird he thought to himself. Kagome looked absolutely transfixed. He allowed himself a smile. She looked so beautiful, he couldn't help himself.  
  
"I've never seen the sky look like this." she said, slowly coming out of her trance.  
  
"It is pretty unusual." he agreed.  
  
She turned to look at him, and the sky made her eyes look dark and brooding. He was still smiling, but he didn't care.  
  
"It's rare to see you smile." Kagome said, shifting closer to him.  
  
"What's your point?" his smile was amused, and when he looked at Kagome, he saw that she too, was smiling back at him.  
  
"I don't have one." she bravely reached out, and grasped one of his hands. It felt warm. Just like her heart.  
  
Inuyasha was slightly surprised at her sudden boldness. Her small hand felt nice in his. He grabbed her other hand, and was now holding both of them in his lap.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome near whispered, the hint of a blush appearing on her cheeks.  
  
"Kagome." He shifted himself closer to her, so now their shoulders were touching.  
  
"I-"she began to say, but his hand covered her mouth.  
  
"Don't speak. Just watch."  
  
They faced toward the sky, which was darkening at a more rapid rate as night began to fall. And yet, as they looked, the cloud that was shaped like a heart still did not dissolve. Cooler air started blowing towards them. He felt Kagome shiver, and almost unconsciously, he put his arm around her.  
  
"Thank you." she whispered. She then leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing in bliss.  
  
Inuyasha grinned to himself. This wasn't a dream, it was very real, and he was lucky that it happened. Perhaps now was the time to tell her. When she was so close to him. he didn't know when there would come another chance.  
  
"Kagome?" he whispered.  
  
She lifted her head up, and looked at him.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
His heart was pounding in his chest. How Kagome made him feel so weak, he would never know, but it was a good weak. The kind that only happened when the person you loved was near. He bent his head down so that it was nearly touching hers. He could feel her heart beating as loudly as his, and her scent was surrounding them with it's beauty.  
  
"I love you." he whispered, closing the distance between them.  
  
Kagome's gasp was cut off when his lips were upon hers. The kiss was gentle, and promised of greater things to come. When he opened his eyes, and saw the shock in them, he had to wonder if he did the wrong thing. Maybe she hated him now. Kagome didn't move. She didn't say anything for several moments.  
  
"Kagome." he said. She seemed to come out of her state of shock at the sound of her name. She looked him in the eye with a huge smile on her face. Everything seemed to happen at once. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a kiss that was sure to drive him crazy.  
  
"I love you too." Kagome said when she released him. Inuyasha looked dazed.  
  
She didn't say anything more after that. Inuyasha shifted her into his lap, and with his arms wrapped securely around her waist, they watched the rest of the sunset, and the heart in the sky finally dissolved in the sky, but not in their hearts.  
  
It was a sunset to remember for all eternity.  
  
A/N: Well it's a short little fic! And I'm actually updating! YAY! Well I hope that I will get some reviews, and I hope that you all enjoyed the story, and let it be known that I'm coming out with a longer Inu/Kag one- shot ASAP! Love ya lotz! Bandana Gurl


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